Expertise

Sylvie is master in de psychologie (klinische en gezondheidspsychologie) en behaalde haar doctoraat in de biomedische wetenschappen aan KU Leuven met onderzoek naar de gedragsmatige en neurale effecten van oxytocine bij volwassen mannen met een autisme spectrum stoornis. Sylvie voert hoofdzakelijk praktijkgericht onderzoek naar het gebruik en de implementatie van immersieve technologie, zoals virtual reality, augmented reality en 360° video, in de (geestelijke) gezondheidszorg. Zo werkte ze de afgelopen jaren aan het Immersive Care project en momenteel aan het Immersive Mental Health project, beide gefinancierd door VLAIO (Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen). Met de kennis en expertise opgebouwd uit deze projecten adviseert ze het werkveld over de implementatie van immersieve technologie in hun organisatie.

Publicaties

Artikels in internationaal gereviewde wetenschappelijke tijdschriften

Bernaerts, S., Bonroy, B., Daems, J., Sels, R., Struyf, D., Gies, I., & van de Veerdonk, W. (2022). Virtual Reality for Distraction and Relaxation in a Pediatric Hospital Setting: An Interventional Study With a Mixed-Methods Design. Front. Digit. Health, 4, 866119. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.866119

Van Daele, T., Mathiasen, K., Carlbring, P., Bernaerts, S., Brugnera, A., Compare, A., Duque, A., J., Gosar, D., L., Karekla, M., Larsen, P., G., Nordgreen, T., Salgado, J., Schwerdtfeger, A.R., Van Assche, E., Willems, S., & De Witte, N.A.J. (2022). Online consultations in mental healthcare: Modelling determinants of use and experience based on an international survey study at the onset of the pandemic. Internet Interventions, 30, 100571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2022.100571

Bernaerts, S., De Witte, N.A.J., Van der Auwera, V., Bonroy, B., Muraru, L., Bamidis, P., Frantzidis, C., Kourtidou-Papadeli, C., Azevedo, N., Garatea,. J, Muñoz, I., Almeida, R., Losada, R., Fung, J., Kehayia, E., Lamontagne, A., de Guise, E., Duclos, C., Higgins, J., Nadeau, S., Beaudry, L., Konstantinidis, P. on behalf of the VITALISE consortium. (2022). Rehabilitation Supported by Technology: Protocol for an International Cocreation and User Experience Study. JMIR Res Protoc, 11(3): e34537. https://doi.org/10.2196/34537

Santonen, T., Petsani, D., Julin, M., Garschall, M., Kropf, J., Van der Auwera, V., Bernaerts, S., Losada, R., Almeida, R., Garatea, J., Muñoz, I., Nagy, E., Kehayia, E., de Guise, E., Nadeau, S., Azevedo, N., Segkouli, S., Lazarou, I., Petronikolou, V., Bamidis, P., & Konstantinidis, P. (2022). Cocreating a Harmonized Living Lab for Big Data–Driven Hybrid Persona Development: Protocol for Cocreating, Testing, and Seeking Consensus. JMIR Res Protoc, 11(1): e34567. https://doi.org/10.2196/34567

Alaerts, K., Bernaerts, S. & Wenderoth, N. (2022). Effects of single- and multiple-dose oxytocin treatment on amygdala low-frequency BOLD fluctuations and BOLD spectral dynamics in autism. Transl Psychiatry 12, 393. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02158-8

Alaerts, K., Steyaert, J., Vanaudenaerde, B., Wenderoth, N., Bernaerts, S. (2021). Changes in endogenous oxytocin levels after intranasal oxytocin treatment in adult men with autism: An exploratory study with long-term follow-up. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol, 43, 147–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.11.014

De Witte, N. A., Carlbring, P., Etzelmueller, A., Nordgreen, T., Karekla, M., Haddouk, L., Belmont, A., Øverland, S., Abi-Habib, R., Bernaerts, S., Brugnera, A., Compare, A., Duque, A., Ebert, D. D., Eimontas, J., Kassianos, A. P., Salgado, J., Schwerdtfeger, A., Tohme, P., Van Assche,  E., & Van Daele, T. (2021). Online Consultations in Mental Healthcare During the Covid-19 Outbreak: An International Survey Study on Uptake and Experiences. Internet Interventions, 25, 100405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2021.100405

Van Daele, T., Best, P., Bernaerts, S., Van Asche, E., & De Witte, N. A. J. (2021). Dropping the E: the potential for integrating e-mental health in psychotherapy. Current Opinion in Psychology, 41, 46-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.02.007

Bernaerts, S., Boets, B., Steyaert, J., Wenderoth, N., & Alaerts, K. (2020). Oxytocin treatment attenuates amygdala activity in autism: a treatment-mechanism study with long-term follow-up. Transl Psychiatry, 10, 383. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-01069-w

Alaerts, K., Bernaerts, S., Prinsen, J., Dillen, C., Steyaert, J., & Wenderoth, N. (2020). Oxytocin induces long-lasting adaptations within amygdala circuitry in autism: a treatment-mechanism study with randomized placebo-controlled design. Neuropsychopharmacol. 45, 1141–1149. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-020-0653-8

Van Daele, T., Karekla, M., Kassianos, A. P., Compare, A., Haddouk, L., Salgado, J., Ebert, D. D.,  Trebbi, G. (on behalf of the EFPA Project Group on eHealth), Bernaerts, S., Van Assche, E., & De Witte, N. A. J. (2020). Recommendations for policy and practice of telepsychotherapy and e-mental health in Europe and beyond. Journal of Psychotherapy integration, 30(2), 160-173. https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000218

Bernaerts, S., Boets, B., Bosmans, G., Steyaert, J., Alaerts, K. (2020). Behavioral effects of multiple-dose oxytocin treatment in autism: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial with long-term follow-up. Molecular Autism, 11, 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-020-0313-1

Alaerts, K., Bernaerts, S., Vanaudenaerde, B., Daniels, N., & Wenderoth, N. (2019). Amygdala–Hippocampal Connectivity Is Associated With Endogenous Levels of Oxytocin and Can Be Altered by Exogenously Administered Oxytocin in Adults With Autism. Biological Psychiatry : Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 4(7), 655–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.01.008

Di Martino, A., O’Connor, D., Chen, B., Alaerts, K., Anderson, J., Assaf, M., Balsters, J., Baxter, L., Beggiato, A., Bernaerts, S., Blanken, L., Bookheimer, S., Braden, B.B., Byrge, L., Castellanos, F., Dapretto, M., Delorme, R., Fair, D., Fishman, I., Fitzgerald, J., Gallagher, L., Keehn, R.J J., Kennedy, D., Lainhart, J., Luna, B., Mostofsky, S., Müller, R-A., Nebel, M.B., Nigg, J., O’Hearn, K., Solomon, M., Toro, R., Vaidya, C., Wenderoth, N., White, T., Craddock, C., Lord, C., Leventhal, B., Milham, M. (2017). Enhancing studies of the connectome in autism using the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II. Scientific Data, 4, Art.No. 170010. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.10

Bernaerts, S., Prinsen, J., Berra, E., Bosmans, G., Steyaert, J., Alaerts, K. (2017). Long-term oxytocin administration enhances the experience of attachment. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 78, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.010

Prinsen, J., Bernaerts, S., Wang, Y., De Beukelaar, T., Cuypers, K., Swinnen, S., Alaerts, K. (2017). Direct eye contact enhances mirroring of others’ movements: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Neuropsychologia, 95, 111-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.12.011

Bernaerts, S., Berra, E., Wenderoth, N., Alaerts, K. (2016). Influence of oxytocin on emotion recognition from body language: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 72, 182-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.07.002